Organizational Identity

Pratt, 2000

Context: Amway distributors and organizational identification Key theme: sensebreaking, sensegiving, sensemaking Key Points: (1) Sensebreaking processes break down meaning and create a lacunae that can be potentially filled using sensegiving processes. Failure can lead to deidentification. (2) Sensegiving processes provide meaning, in this case, through positive programming. (3) Sensemaking processes are actively undertaken by the member by situating a target into a mental framework

Elsbach and Kramer, 1996

Context: Businessweek rankings of MBA programs and identity threats of current university stakeholders Key theme: identity threats; selective categorization Key Points: (1) Selective categorization involves the use of cognitive tactics to maintain positive perceptions of social identities (2) Identity dissonance arising from inconsistency in member and external perception of organizational identity was positively associated with selective categorization

Corley and Gioia, 2004

Context: ambiguity in organizational identify following spin-offs Key theme: identify ambiguity Key Points: (1) Organizational identity = Identity label + meaning of label + Error (2) Fundamental change in organizational operations also leads to changes in (1) label and/or (2) meaning of label (3) Ambiguity arises from this sense of uncertainty that creates a strategic need for organizational sensegiving processes.

Dutton, Dukerich and Harquail, 1994

Key theme: organizational image; organizational identification Key Points: (1) Two kinds of organizational images impact members: perceived organizational identity (based on member's own evaluation) and construed external image (based on member's beliefs of others' evaluation) (2) org. id. is the degree to which the member's own values are reflected in their perception of their organization (3) Organizational images are unique to individual's perceptions and identification is a process of self-categorization